January 31, 2007

One In Five Malaysians Believe Their Life Is Highly Stressful

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 30 (Bernama) — One in five Malaysians believe their life is highly stressful and the difficulty in balancing life with work is making the situation worse, according to global market intelligence company, Synovate.
Its managing director (Malaysia) Steve Murphy said based on a survey carried out by the company on 10,000 Peninsular Malaysians, 28 per cent of the Chinese respondents said they had been feeling the strain compared to 22 per cent Indians and 18 per cent Malays.
“Despite the increased pressure, Malaysians feel that the sanctity of marriage still holds firm,” he said in a statement issued here Tuesday.
“With with two-thirds of respondents agreeing that ‘married life is better than being single’, the survey shows that Malaysians value marriage and the sense of family it brings.
“Malaysia should be proud in being a country that nurtures family bond, with the inherent family unity to likely help maintain a strong foundation for the country and its people.
“However, although most Malaysians believe that being married is better than being single, more than one-third of them think a successful career and a happy family life are not compatible.
“And although Malaysians have strong family ties and believed in marriage, many are struggling to find a balance between their work and family life.”
He said Malaysians were united in their view towards family values but were finding it increasingly difficult to incorporate these values into their busy, modern lives.
“Almost three-quarters (72 per cent) said they were interested in hearing their parents’ opinion, and the majority believed strongly in the role of the family and building one of their own.
“However, with just under one-third (31 per cent) of Malaysians surveyed believing that ‘you cannot have a successful career and a happy family life at the same time’, it is clear that many are finding it difficult to maintain their family commitments alongside their demanding work obligations.”
Murphy said the Chinese were the most independent group with 56 per cent ready to listen to their parents compared with 79 per cent Malays and 77 per cent Indians.
When it came to a successful union, the Malay (72 per cent) and Indian respondents (62 percent) were particularly wedded to the idea of a blissful marriage, while respondents over 30 years old (72 per cent) were convinced that “marriage is better than being single” compared with 48 per cent among the younger generation (15 to 19 years) and 57 per cent among those aged 20-24.
The survey, under the Synovate Media Atlas, a media consumption, lifestyle and attitude study conducted in Malaysia, Hong Kong, the Philippines and Thailand, was carried out via face-to-face and telephone interviews.